Target is a large national discount retailer much like Wal-Mart. But unlike Wal-Mart, Target attempts to market itself as slightly hipper or more style-conscious and to keep everything on its shelves. In general, Target is an affordable place to shop for basic home and wardrobe necessities.

It offers Target debit or credit cards which save the shopper 5% off purchases. Here's some money saving tips.

Target hires designers to create the various lines of products that it sells. The core lines all use the same designer selected palettes, so the cardboard tissue box you buy today matches the towels you bought a couple years ago. The individual designers have their names and profiles presented when browsing in-house items. Wal-Mart, on the other hand, sells inexpensive goods vaguely targeted at middle America, thus imparting a semi-rural feel to their products and many (somewhat subtle) patriotic names for their inventory.

Much of the fresh meat sold at Target comes in packages of "modified atmosphere" that includes carbon monoxide gas to give it an artificial appearance of red fresh meat. The carbon monoxide gas is absorbed by the meat and reacts with myoglobin to form carboxymyoglobin, a bright cherry red pigment. The meat is labeled with the disclaimer "Color is not an accurate indicator of freshness. Refer to use or freeze by date." This means that if the meat expires and does go bad, it will still appear bright red as the day that it was packaged. This could lead to accidental food poisoning since spoiled meat will be indistinguishable from non-expired meat, except for the smell. Smell is never a completely accurate way of determining whether meat has spoiled. Wal-Mart does not have any such disclaimer on their carbon monoxide packaged meat. Meat treated with carbon monoxide in this manner has been banned in Canada, Japan, Singapore, and the European Union. Most other Supermarkets such as the Davis Food Co-op, Natural Food Works, Nugget, Safeway, Save Mart and Westlake Market do not sell carbon monoxide treated meat.

According to Grower Talks magazine, Target Corporation announced that it was closing all of its garden centers effective September 2010. The move affected 260 stores nationwide.

Target is the 8th largest employer in Yolo County, with 782 full-timers and 495 part-timers (2011 figure from Sacramento Business Journal) across the county.

The store is located near the A bus line, P/Q bus line, and the O bus line(O only runs on weekends). Yolobus 42 also stops at the same bus stops.

There is a ChaseATM located inside of the store, but it does not accept deposits. The ATM is branded Chase, but it is actually owned and operated by Cardtronics. Chase pays Cardtronics to maintain the machine and to put the Chase brand name on the ATM. It is also an Allpoint Network ATM which is fee free for a limited number of banks and select credit unions that are part of the Allpoint Network.

There is also a Pizza Hut Express and Starbucks cafe in the front of the store. As mentioned below, the Starbucks is licensed and they will accept Starbucks gift cards.

Target has a pharmacy. Target has a list of $4 generic drugs for a 30 day supply and a list of $10 generic drugs for a 90 day supply. Please note that not all drugs are included on this list and only a small number of drugs qualify for the $4 list. If you have insurance that covers prescriptions you will probably still pay the same co-pay at Target as at another pharmacy such as Rite Aid or CVS. In fact, in some cases drugs may be found for lower prices at other drugstores such as Rite Aid or CVS. It depends on the individual drug.

The statement that Target gave money directly to Bachmann is incorrect. Corporations are still outlawed from giving money directly to political candidates. They can donate money to a political action committee that is run by a candidate. The CEO donated some of his own personal money to a committee run by Bachmann. If the CEO gives his own personal money to a candidate, it is not the fault of Target. It is something an employee of Target did on their own and it is independent of the company that the person works for. MaxLucas

AT&T and various other companies also donated money to Bachmann's committee. These companies donate to political action committees for the benefit of their business in the hope that politicians will approve favorable legislation that will aid their companies. MaxLucas

Response to Critics

The MoveOn link is misleading. It is worded to sound like Target gave money directly to an anti-gay candidate. That is incorrect. Target did not give money directly to an anti-gay candidate. Target gave a donation of $150,000 to a political action committee called MN Forward. At the time of the donation Target did not know what candidate MN Forward would endorse. MN Forward did eventually endorse the anti-gay candidate. This was a major public relations fallout for Target. If Target had known that MN Forward was going to endorse an anti-gay candidate, Target would never have made the donation. Target is very conscious about their public image. Target offers benefits to domestic partners of employees. This is not a sign of an anti-gay company. Target is known in Minnesota for donating to public school programs, food pantries and the annual Twin Cities Gay Pride Festival. Why did Target donate to MN Forward in the first place?

Quote from Target Representative: "Target supports causes and candidates based strictly on issues that affect our retail and business interests. In fact, Target's Federal PAC contributions year-to-date are very balanced between Republicans and Democrats, and we work collaboratively with legislators and officials at all points on the political spectrum.”

The U.S. Supreme Court recently threw out parts of a 63-year-old law that prohibited campaign donations from company funds. This is what started all of this. However, the Supreme Court ruling left in place state prohibitions against companies giving directly to the candidates.

Target did not intentionally give money to an anti-gay candidate. However, they did donate to a political action committee that later on ended up donating money to an anti-gay candidate. I'm sure Target regrets this donation that they previously made.

However, with regard to all of these boycott agendas, will this affect Target? No. A few boycotters will not make much of a difference in Target's earnings. However, if we boycott Target, then more people will shop at other places such as Walmart. Walmart is far more conservative and their share holders and executives contribute much more money to right wing causes. Walmart does not offer benefits to domestic partners, while Target does offer domestic partner benefits.

With regard to boycotting, many people will continue to shop at Target. People shop where there are low prices and where it benefits them. Target has learned its lesson and will be very careful about what PACs they will donate to in the future. - MaxLucas

Response to the Response

There are plenty of other shopping options besides WalMart and Target. —DonShor

I think the good news is that incidents like this (and surely there are more to come in the next couple years) will eventually scare businesses away from exercising their recently recognized constitutional right to give money directly to PACs and political candidates. The costs are just too great, at least when it comes to something as broad as MN Forward. —jsogul

Resolution?

In exchange for being the exclusive supplier of a special edition of Lady Gaga's single, "Born This Way," Target agreed to stop funding anti-gay groups and to donate to LGBT groups instead. As of February 2011, they had committed $500,000 to LGBT community projects. But by March 2011, the deal between Lady Gaga and Target for the exclusive special edition of Lady Gaga's single had fallen through.

A Controversial Beginning

Rendering of the Davis Target before it was built. They seem to have envisioned that people would park far away from the building and walk through an empty parking lot. Image copyright Target Corporation 2006 Target opened a store in Davis on 2009-10-07 at the Second Street Crossing shopping center near Mace Boulevard. Their "grand opening" was 2009-10-11. The store has 137,000 square feet of retail space, and originally included a 10,000 square foot garden center. They employ around 208 people. There is a Pharmacy, and a licensed Starbucks Cafe staffed by Target employees trained by Starbucks. Starbucks such as these are often(cite?) nicknamed Tarbucks or Tarbux by former employees.

This store has been a source of local controversy for years. In a rare turn of events, even for Davis, the city council decided to put approval of the project to a public vote in 2006. The Target project appeared as Measure K on the November 2006 ballot and passed with 51.5 percent of the vote.

Many residents opposed the opening of a "big box store" in Davis for fear that it would harm smaller local businesses, especially those located downtown. Others worried that allowing a store like Target to be built would harm the small-town character of Davis. Nonetheless, the community decided that the ability to buy socks in town was worth the risk, and Target was born.

The Davis Target store has been certified LEED Silver by the Green Building Council (http://www.usgbc.org/). This means that the design achieved between 50 - 59 points out of 100 possible. LEED Silver is the second level of certification, above Certified (40 - 49), and below Gold (60 - 79 points) and Platinum (80 or more points).

Building on a Superfund Site

Prior to the vote, it became known that the Target would be located on an EPA Superfund Site. But on December 22, 2008, The People's Vanguard of Davisreported that the Frontier Fertilizer Superfund Oversight Group (FFSOG) discovered a potentially new source of contamination at testing wells on the Target site. Trichloropropane (TCP) was detected in a sample taken just northeast of where the store would be, a location outside the current treatment area. The FFSOG argued that further sampling needed to be done in order to see if additional treatment was needed and, if so, who was responsible for it (depending on whether it was from a new source or the existing source). Target argued that the sample was a fluke, that they didn't have money for additional sampling, and that they would pour a slab for the store on January 5, 2009. On January 25, 2009, the Vanguard reported that the EPA agreed to do more testing to determine the source and extent of the contamination. As of that date, the slab had not yet been poured.

Construction Building Photos

Other Target Corporation Controversies with Local Relevance

According to the Sacramento News and Review, "Sacramento County District Attorney Jan Scully and Yolo DA Jeff Reisig are suing Target Corporation for $9 million." Joined by California Attorney General Jerry Brown, the corporation is accused of local violations of environmental laws and illegal dumping. The article cites specific instances in Yolo County: "prosecutors allege that Target employees at stores in Yolo County disposed of “ignitable aerosols,” “explosive waste,” and “300 pounds of e-waste” in store trash compactors and sent it all to the Yolo County landfill in Woodland, which is off limits to all that stuff. That was just in February of 2009." In Feb. 2011 Target agreed to pay a $22.5 million fine for illegal dumping of hazardous waste around the state, including Yolo County.

Other Targets in the Region

There is also a Target in Woodland at 2185 Bronze Star Dr., just off 102, near Costco in the Gateway Shopping Center. The Woodland Target opened in a brand new building in July 2008. It moved from its longtime location in the County Fair Mall. The Woodland Target store includes a licensed1Starbucks and a pharmacy.

Weekly Ads and Coupons

Target Targeted by Criminals

The boarded entryway where the men smashed through with their truck.

At approximately 3 AM on May 22, 2011 (maybe they were thinking they had just missed Judgement Day?), two unknown men drove a truck through the front doors of the Target store in an attempt to hitch the ATM machine inside to their truck. See the The Davis Enterprisearticle for further details. The attempt failed. This doesn't seem like the smartest crime ever because many ATM machines are equipped with ink staining capabilities. When an attempt to break into the safes inside the ATM is detected, the machine will automatically release a dye which will stain all the money inside rendering it useless. This is similar to exploding dye packs used by banks to safeguard their money.

2008-07-28 03:13:10 If target actually cared about having a green building, and aren't just using it as an terrible appeasement for the Davisite, why are they only making the building up to LEED's bronze standard (the lowest one)

If target really cared about green buildings they would have made it to the gold, or at least silver leed rating.

Hey at least they smashed the record for campaign donations that had just been broken with the measure X. Target spent nearly 4 times as much as the local developers did... And it comes down to less than 1000 votes... —StevenDaubert

Dude, I think Target cares more about business than it does about the environment. No surprises there. —OS

2008-08-15 12:07:17 Where are those people in the picture walking from? An imaginary light rail or streetcar station on 2nd Street? Where are all the cars and SUVS that will be filling up the clearly marked parking spaces? The only folks who are going to be within walking distance of this store are those Mace Ranch residents who overwhelmingly opposed it - and they would be approaching the store from the back. It almost looks like they lifted the people from a cover of "The Watchtower" and plunked them down to try to make the picture less depressing. —aharjala

2008-09-04 03:48:46 finally, somewhere to shop that's close to campus.

I won't have to travel to Woodland or Sacramento just to buy household items at a decent price. —ThUn

2008-10-25 13:45:43 I agree. I don't have a car so buying needed household supplies is a pain. Can't wait for this store to open —sweetsoni

2009-02-28 16:15:01 So, they haven't even begun construction of Target, yet everywhere I've looked it said opening March 2009. Anyone know when the new opening is scheduled for? —EricaMacGregor

From my understanding, the presence of the pollution was well documented, and part of the deal in allowing Target to build there was that they would be responsible for cleaning it up. If that's true, it really shouldn't have affected the construction time they proposed.—JoePomidor

2009-03-01 10:40:48 "The 18-acre Frontier Fertilizer site is located near the eastern boundary of Davis, California. The Barber and Rowland Co. operated a pesticide and fertilizer distribution facility on the site from 1972 to 1982. The Frontier Fertilizer Co. used the site from 1982 to 1987. Both companies handled chemicals on the western 4 acres of the site. Operations consisted of storing, mixing and delivering pesticides, herbicides, and non-bulk chemicals in cans, drums, and other containers. Both the Barber and Rowland, and Frontier Fertilizer companies used a 4,000-cubic-foot former disposal basin in the northwest corner of the site to dispose of unused pesticides and fertilizers." http://www.lib.ucdavis.edu/dept/govinfo/news/frontier.php —DonShor

2009-10-06 21:42:17 The sign changed from "Open October 11th" to "Now Open" today. I was told by a checker that the official grand opening is still scheduled for the 11th, but you can shop there starting today. —jared.rapp

2009-10-09 15:45:46 Yep, it's definitely open for business. Just bought some diapers and stuff there today. :) Seems like virtually any other Target (except backwards). Not sure if it's as "nice" as the one in Woodland, but I'm not exactly sure how it's really different... —RobertM525

it is the only Target that has a shower in the stock room, is the different enough :P —SarahS

2009-10-11 00:15:11 needs more bike parking, so jammed packed, and its not even "open" yet. i saw bikes locked to other bikes :( —SarahS

2009-10-11 20:02:42 There are security cameras everywhere... except... over the bicycle racks. (That is, the one place where it really matters.) On opening day I observed a couple apparently stealing a shopping cart and I overheard some kids talking outside about how one of them had stolen "a useless blue plastic thing". Just opening day fun, I guess. The bike racks are the stupid type, installed in the stupid way. Obviously by people who have never been on a bicycle. The racks were completely full. The store has everything, but nothing good. —SteveDavison

2009-10-11 20:29:14 They're boasting about the store being a USGBC LEED building, but I'm not impressed. There are different levels of certification. There are four levels: Certified, Silver, Gold, and Platinum. Target is LEED "Certified", the LOWEST LEVEL. You get that by just not doing anything totally stupid. If you use modern materials, try to make the place livable, and don't do anything illegal, you'll get LEED Certification. It's not impossibly difficult to get a higher level; Gallagher Hall which opened on the same day got a GOLD level. The Target has no skylights, a ceiling full of fluorescent lights, the usual large paved-over parking lot, no solar PV panels (AFAIK), nothing out of the ordinary. —SteveDavison

One thing I did notice out of the ordinary were light sensors for their refrigerators. However they seemed to not be calibrated especially well since the lights kept going on and off despite no individuals in the aisle. That's all I've got. —RyanMikulovsky

There are solar panels on the roof, which is flat, so they are not visible. To my knowledge, they did the LEED certification since the city of Davis required it of them, so I'm not surprised that they did it to the lowest level. I've noticed a lot of people making this same complaint, though, as if bronze was basically no better than if they'd built it out of asbestos and baby seals. —JoePomidor

2009-10-11 22:04:44 Selection was very good. Prices on many items were better than what I've found elsewhere in Davis, although CVS has some things that are cheaper. Employees were easier to find than in other targets I've been to, and all seemed to know where stuff was. Parking wasn't so much fun - large lot, completely full. —IDoNotExist

2009-10-11 22:15:15 got double charged for an item and the girl blamed it on the scanning gun so check your receipts. also it sucks that there are no mirrors in the clothing section. I mean you'd have to walk pretty far to the fitting room, that's ridiculous. $5 dvd's and $7-$9 for hoodies and sweats! —GreezySweezy

Please keep in mind that the Target employees are COMPLETELY new and the Target has only been open for less than a week when this comment was made. Give them a break, if you've ever worked retail you know that it takes some time to get used to doing your job and working with customers. Check your receipts for mistakes, but try not to get upset with the new employees.—JesBisagno

2009-10-12 01:37:52 The Davis Target store looks like it is a mirror image of the Woodland Target store. They both have the same tower but on different sides. —MaxLucas

2009-10-12 16:46:11 "I know but only that God dwells there amongst men." - King Boris of the Bulgarians on Target —CarlosOverstreet

2009-10-13 20:19:26 Great store, average size for a target. Stocks all the normal stuff that Target and Wal-Marts would. —IdealParadigm

2009-10-29 12:43:06 Can someone please get a picture of the hilarious sign reading, "Need underwear, Target this way!" —HeatherKlinger

They have been mentioned in the news... I'd love to see a photo of one of the signs. -jw

The signs are actually an advertisement for the church that's right nearby... I think it's University Covenant Church. —jo

2009-10-30 10:24:25 I expected this Target to look the same on the inside as most of the newer ones I've been to lately, but there are some definite differences. They made the women's clothes and the jewelry section look a little more like a department store...a little snazzier. Interestingly enough, I was on the hunt for knobs, as in kitchen/bathroom cupboard hardware, and I went to both the Woodland and Davis Targets. The same pack of 10 knobs was cheaper at the Woodland Target. Anyone know is this type of practice is typical? Maybe it was just an error. Either way, I'd be shopping at the Woodland Target since I live by it, but if this pricing were on purpose and applied to many items, I'd be annoyed if I lived in Davis. —AmLin

2009-11-07 14:31:21 I wish it were a Wal-mart instead, but Target's the next best thing. Glad I won't have to drive to other towns just to buy home basics anymore. spacious, well-stocked, reasonably priced. —AliceMaine

2009-11-18 14:40:01 I love this place! Great prices and way more convenient than going to Walmart. —ElizabethLee

2009-11-24 20:37:36 Great store, always happy when I go here, they do have way too many disabled parking spots though, it is very hard to find a decent parking spot. They should keep their produce a little more stocked too, but they aren't a Safeway, so I shouldn't expect much there. I'm glad to see more competition in Davis in order to drive prices down and get businesses to realize that poor service and poor prices cause them to lose people's business.

Maybe some store employees will understand what it means to say "Hello", or "Have a nice day". How hard is it to get somebody in Davis to say "thank you" or "your welcome"? I hear it on occasion, but it is because it is based on the person, not on the store encouraging or requiring employees to greet customers. —JSlice

2009-12-08 13:48:28 Great store, tons of inventory. Help from the clerks is downright awful. With five clerks chatting and working the Christmas section none of them could be bothered to help me out, and when I asked, they had no idea if they had the item I was looking for. Very social group, discussing their "50% off" stash that they had piled up somewhere. Very dissapointed. —Alex

2009-12-14 19:29:51 What's up with the preferred parking for Prius-owner? Why do self-righteous yuppies and aging hippies deserve special treatment? Total rubbish. Lame attempt to appear 'green.' Talk about a massive carbon footprint. Anyone who shops there has no concern for the earth or the right of workers to unionize. Shame!!! —bpwhite

Because Priuses are good for the environment, especially since the government says so. Also, unions are not always good for employees either especially if the state has compulsory union due laws: http://www.nrtw.org/en/about —hankim

2009-12-17 21:55:29 Hankim— Only a fool would quote the national right to work foundation. They're a bunch of fascist bastards. —bpwhite

Just because someone is a bastard does not mean they're always wrong. —hankim

2009-12-18 17:03:18 It's got everything there, most major brands of everything and the lowest prices overall, so that is a good thing. However:

I live in Davis and I applied for a job that I was well qualified to do. After spending an hour filling out a lengthy application filled with all kinds of ridiculous questions, I never even got so much as an interview. I believe it is because I was over 40 because my age was asked and I never have seen that question on any of the many applications I have filled out. Then I looked around and noticed most of the employees were barely 20. I wonder if ChinaMart, excuse me, Target stores even offer any benefits whatsoever. I would guess NOT, but I only assume they don't since workers are now a dime-a-dozen and any benefits would certainly cut down on profits. Other than being no more than another ChinaMart, they do have the lowest prices in town on non-China and China items as well. It is irritating to walk around the store and notice all the floor workers have their walkie talkies turned up full blast like they were cops on patrol or something and eyeballing me as if I were suspicious even tho I'm well dressed and groomed! Well, maybe they took their DHS traning a little too seriously, since very shopper is a potential terrorist, right??!! I often see pairs of them working closely together and chatting away. It does bother me that the existing employees appear to be breaking all the rules while I am not even entitled to an interview.

I would not spend too much time shopping there because the Trichloropropane (TCP) should start weeping through the cracks in the foundation slab eventually, not to mention the workers exposure. But then it's profits over safety as usual.

As far as the "small town character" goes, that was all BS from day 1, this town has doubled in size since that line of BS came up many years ago because of Davis thirst for overspending and tax collections. It's all about money. I should know, I've been here over 40 years. Every single "rule" they made was broken ten times over for the sake of money.

One good thing is the "Checkpoint Charley" guy at the main exit is not there anymore. —cjsg

2009-12-18 20:30:43 cjsg - Target does give benefits and perks to its employees. Interviews are only done when there is an actual job opening that needs to be filled. I don't know when you applied but perhaps they were not hiring at that time? Other things they look at in deciding to give interviews: skills/qualifications and availability. —mugadork

2009-12-19 00:23:31 no good Santa hats, no canning jars, seemed kinda haggard for a new target... —StevenDaubert

2009-12-19 18:21:15 no ove gloves, but they have them in west sac and woodland —StevenDaubert

2010-01-13 10:21:16 does the bus closer to target because the yolo and A seem to have stops far away ? —psychstudent

2010-01-25 19:40:08 According to an article in the Sacramento Bee a few months ago, the building received a silver certification from the Green Building Council, not a bronze or a "certified" as some of the previous commenters thought. I'm really curious to know what about the building gives it that level. I know they get boo-coo points for building on a superfund site (& for infill development). They'd also get points for being on a bus route, bike route. Someone above said there are showers inside which gets you points (making it nicer for employees who bike to work). You also get points for things like the types of carpet you use (tiles that can be replaced w/o re-doing the whole area). One of the nice things about a LEED cert. is that it takes into account "livibility" for employees and not only "greeney-ness" So, for example, they could also get points for low emission building materials. Anyone know any other hard facts about this particular certification? —jillerbean

2010-02-09 17:21:47 I was a supporter of the new Target from day 1 and have always really liked the company, store atmosphere, etc. But as a former employee, I must say, I've been disappointed. A lot of the upper level management is great — and they make a great team. But I was particularly disappointed with the paltry number of hours I was given and the entire health benefits arrangement (None of which I could receive, even after 6 months of service). As a corporation, Target could do better. Finally, what is with all of the red shopping carts littering our city everywhere? Seriously, Target, we need to do something about that if we don't want residents to resent us. It is NOT ok. —katietakara

As another former employee, I fully agree. I worked at Target to bridge the gap between college and a job that actually made use of my degree, and my biggest complaint is that they do not give enough hours. I should stress that this is something that has nothing to do with the management (all of whom were very nice and helpful), but rather is a part of Target at an organizational level. They intentionally avoid giving enough hours for even the "full-time" employees to receive benefits. Between the hours and the pay (minimum wage), it is basically impossible to earn a living wage, at least at the bottom levels. Again, I need to make it clear that this is something that the corporate side of Target does, not anyone who works at the store. On that note, I will also say that the people who work there are among the cheeriest, most uniformly outgoing I have ever met (or worked with!) in any retail establishment. —JoePomidor

2010-02-17 23:49:18 hey, cjsg - you don't have to bitch because you didn't get the job —benson

2010-02-18 01:46:16 I was really looking forward to this Target being built. I like the small town feel to...BUT everyone I know drove to Sac/Woodland for most of their non-grovery shopping. That said it is the only place in Davis that when I enter it could be Anytown, USA.

cjsg: Well I do not believe it is illegal to ask for age on an application, the implications can be dangerous. I don't remember ever seeing an application that asked for age. Most companies fear discrimination claims and simply put something like "are you 18 or over". But you should keep the following in mind: Hoe many employees does this Target store need? Maybe 150? How many applications do you think they receive? 100's...1000's? They can not call everyone for an interview. —Josix

2010-03-18 14:30:45 I went to the new Target today with high expectations. I needed 3 things: 9x12" mailing envelopes, some new clip-on sunglasses of some sort that would be durable enough for sports, and a 2" circular drill bit. And I struck out completely. They apparently have no hardware department (I both looked around myself and asked an employee). They had completely cleaned out their stationery aisles to set them up for a spring layout or some such, and the items were unavailable. And they don't have any clip-on sunglasses.

Sadly, enough, I then went to CVS and they didn't have the shades or the envelopes either (envelopes were sold out). Just ridiculous. At least ACE had the drill bit I needed. Am I seriously going to have to go to Wal-Mart to get the rest of this crap? —TomGarberson

I've had one pair that I got from a Wal-Mart in Illinois on a road trip like 3 years ago... they finally disappeared a couple of weeks ago, though, so it's time for something new. Just apparently not from Target. —TomGarberson

2010-04-02 13:20:05 I love the target here!! The staff is friendly and I am so glad they have a grocery section. —RebeccaCho

2010-05-05 21:53:05 Anyone Know if Target will sell an M-Rated Video game to an underaged kid. Because i wanna get Left 4 dead and i am only 14 years old. And if i do get Left 4 dead, i will probably get other M-Rated Videogames. —DarkArchon

The point of the M rating is to keep kids under 18 from buying mature games. Surely you knew the answer before you asked the question? That said, if I wanted an M-rated game at your age, I would've had a parent get it. That is, unless your parents are against you having M-rated games, which in that case, you probably don't want to get L4D in the first place... —HannahFolkes

2010-05-11 18:03:55 I've gotten a bunch of different things from the Davis Target and other Targets. On one hand, they have a wide variety of stuff. It isn't that expensive. And in the store, some of it looks reasonably nice. On the other hand, with almost every product I've bought from them, the product has started to look warn out or has broken with only light use. Clothing faded and looked old with just a few washes. A soap dispenser reacted with the soap (also sold by them for use with that soap dispenser), changing it orange. (The dispenser appeared to be flaking off a decorative coating.) Towels which had been lightly used and not even put into the wash yet started having large threads come off of them. A paper shredder's shredding teeth jammed into each other, warped, and now don't shred properly. I've had a somewhat better success rate with brands that are not just sold through Target. If you are a student, what you can get at target may be better quality than the used stuff you bring from home, simply because of its age. Also, Davis students may find that Target items meet their needs because they won't be using many of their items after they graduate. So buying something cheap and low quality may be a good idea. On the other hand, if you are not a student, and plan to keep what you buy over the long term, you may save money in the long run by buying something more expensive elsewhere, based on how well the stuff at Target seems to hold up. —IDoNotExist

My roommate bought a broom from the Davis Target and the handle (not wooden) broke after a month when it fell to the floor (it was resting against the wall). Currently held together with duct tape. Guess it wasn't just bad luck after all. —EBT

Blerg, yeah. Our paper shredder from target gave up the ghost after less than a month (same deal, the teeth just bent horribly). I got a 5-gallon stock pot with a glass lid (inside a metal ring) there, and the lid literally shattered the first time I cooked with it, all of the glass showering down onto the corn inside. It still worked for brining turkeys, so I wasn't too bummed. Frankly, I've had better luck with WalMart junk being a little less junky than Target junk. —TomGarberson

Let me add yet another product to my list of bad stuff from Target. This one was a product that comes in standard sizes. If it is the wrong size, it doesn't work. It wasn't even close. At this point, I can probably point to about $200 in Target products that either failed after light use, or that failed to meet their advertised specifications. I'm quite wary of buying anything from Target again at this point. —IDoNotExist

At the risk of saying something nice about a big box, while simultaneously admitting the un-PC fact that I sometimes shop at Target, I'll say that my experience has been very different. Almost everything I've gotten at Target has been of good quality — mostly housewares or office products types of thing. I almost never buy clothing from them, so I can't say much about that. Their prices on drugstore-type items tend to be better than elsewhere (and I don't feel guilty for going to Target vs, say, CVS or Rite Aid). The store is clean, the shelves are stocked, and they seem to hire enough employees to answer questions and staff the checkouts. —CovertProfessor

I am a girl who works behind the "Guest Service" counter. Just thought you might like to know that Target has a very relaxed return policy, for any reason you can return most items if you have you receipt, or paid using a credit card debit card or a check within 90 days of purchase. The only things you can't return are CDs, DVDs, and video games if they are opened. ~Anonymous Target Employee

I can confirm this. I brought back a supposedly "water resistant" Timex watch that had stopped working when I got it wet. I expected to get the third-degree about whether I'd gone deep-sea diving with it or whatever. (I hadn't — just an ordinary swim in the ocean). But the woman at Guest Services took one look at the watch and processed my return without hassle. —CovertProfessor

2010-05-12 06:31:26 I got this great baking dish here, I use it quite a bit. I also got these pants and I've only worn them a few times but they are great, they are cheap and good looking. I bought them at the Davis Target. —NickSchmalenberger

2010-06-10 20:53:24 If you have a bad experience, here's the URL for e-mailing in a complaints (Just click on the appropriate link.)

2010-06-22 21:18:25 I bought a cell phone and a plan from this target, and the employees have been nothing less than fantastic in terms of post-purchase customer support. I had problems with the plan provider and the employee intervened on my behalf and got me what I wanted. I had a problem with the phone that was ultimately a result of something I did to harm it, and a different employee helped me to get a new one quickly and with few questions asked. Other problems were resolved in a similar manner. Target electronics employees, you guys are pretty awesome. —JessicaWinter

2010-07-15 00:36:53 I agree, the electronics employees are awesome. The dude with the red hair has always been helpful, especially when selecting a PlayStation 3. However, the guy who is the cell phone specialist wasn't very helpful. I understand he's largely just the cell phone person, so he can't help much in other departments, but when I was trying to talk to him about an exchange, he kept mentioning how he's "just the cell phone specialist" and how he "specializes in cell phones" ... then, in mid-sentence, he pulls out his own cell phone to read a text message and takes the time to reply before continuing talking to me.

I frequently visit Target because they rock, but this guy gave awful customer service, even if he was just a cell phone specialist. —HannahFolkes

2010-07-15 22:37:17 —HannahFolkes They are just "cell phone specialists," they come from a third party contractor (radioshack I believe). If you have a question about a Target policy, a team member would be a better resource for you. —mugadork

2010-07-24 19:23:21 Went to target, and once again they do not have the item I was looking for (dickies work pants) or seemingly any work pants for that matter

oh and while I was walking around the store I overheard a radio call asking if they carried humistats (monitor humidity) and they didn't have those as well.

So far above 80% of the time when I do go to target it doesn't have what I need.

Oh and the motion sensors that drive the frozen displays were on the fritz, it was like a lightshow that was a whole aisle long —StevenDaubert

2010-07-24 19:43:26 Target is the first store that I have been to where I found t-shirts that were longer than my torso without me swimming in them. Of course, the shirts go almost to my knees even if I got the smallest size I could without the sleeves basically going up so much that the shirt almost looked sleeveless. Sometimes I feel awkwardly built until I buy shirts in packs of three from Nordstrom Rack or something. I did however manage to find very comfortable Fruit of the Loom boxers here. I tend to avoid buying Target-exclusive clothes because for some reason, their male clothes department has poorly made t-shirts.

I normally go to Target to purchase cleaning supplies like vinyl gloves, bleach, toilet cleaner, OxiClean, garbage bags, laundry detergent, and such, so usually I most likely will not run into any issues with items being poorly made. I did however purchase a cheapo vacuum cleaner there and so far, I have not had any problems. —hankim

2010-08-04 11:21:25 Garden sections are closing across the country —StevenDaubert

2010-08-07 21:27:58 I come here for the decent prices and good selection of stuff, but the service has been bad the last few times I came. I had to talk to 4 different people before someone could finally bring a dolly to lift something...by then I had the box in the cart by myself! The service at the photo development place is also pretty bad. —themichelle

2010-08-13 01:47:46 So...what's the point of that small tower? If I was the manager, I would totally have my office up there. —TheShah

It's called a clerestory and its traditional purpose was to let in light and create a more open feeling in the space below it. Whether it accomplishes these things in a Target I'll leave up to the reader to decide. —jimstewart

Heh...it's not connected to the store space itself, it's a small enclosed room up there. —JoePomidor

Yawn... fine, its not a clerestory. I don't know what the hell it is. —jimstewart

2010-08-16 15:37:10 Best place to shop in Davis.

Always felt ripped off when shopping at the Nugget or Safeway for general food consumables. Never figured out why frozen veggies should be $2 for 5 on sale. Can get them at Target for $1.25 every day. Milk and Cheese products are also quite reasonable. Condiments such as pickles, and sauces can't be beat, not to mention pasta and noodles. Just about every item under $5 is still $1 cheaper at target. Its worth at least $15-20 every trip. —donjumpsuit

This is surprising because a few weeks ago, I went over to Target to compare prices with Safeway. I noticed that dairy, fruits, juices, cereal, chips, pasta sauce, bread, and just about everything I buy often was more expensive at Target than at Safeway. The Morningstar brand frozen foods were cheaper at Target, and so were blueberries (thought they turned out to be completely disgusting). Admittedly, I did not check the frozen vegetables. But still, I wasn't surprised at my findings though. Makes sense that a supermarket grocery store would be cheaper than a retail store... —TheShah

2010-08-17 23:05:50 Bought a towel here and it fell apart on the first wash... Walmart towels are superior, they don't cover everything in lint or fragments of cotton. —hankim

2010-10-06 17:06:59 I like their Starbucks cafe area. Unfortunately, it's not a wifi hotspot :( —endlessroad

2010-10-16 11:51:58 Target employee at Guest Services was polite, and helpful. I bought something earlier in week and when I got home, the coupon was still on the item. Guess the cashier and I missed it at checkout. I brought back the coupon and receipt. She refunded my cash without any questions. No worries! —LeeSpartan

2012-06-20 14:34:31 The cashiers here should be a little more conscious about the amount of plastic bags they are using. On multiple occasions, I brought my own bag and showed it to them after they hastily started putting my stuff into a plastic bag, and they got huffy and took the plastic bag and THREW IT AWAY. Um...the whole point is to REDUCE the usage of the bags. I am taking the time to comment because it has happened multiple times. Just yesterday, the same thing started happening, but this time I got a different sort of rude response: when I told the cashier that I had my own bag, rather than taking my bag and using it to bag my stuff like any normal cashier with a normal attitude would do, she started piling all my stuff up on the tiny table that is supposed to be used for writing checks. Then after I paid, as I'm trying to get my credit card back in my wallet and deal with this pile of stuff, she stuck my receipt in my face, and impatiently said "here". I said politely, "Are you going to help me bag my stuff? I can't do everything at once." She seemed then to realize she was being absolutely rude, and apologized. But still...maybe Target employees need a little memo about plastic bags and how we should be encouraging customers to reuse bags and bring their own, rather than making it more difficult. —lumali

2013-01-02 14:34:31 the bags should be the first item on the belt, not your items. many many times people decide after you finish bagging that oh. hey. i have a bag! bags are recycled, not thrown away. its just not worth the effort to reuse a bag that a customer refused. they are set up for maximum effieciency. as to the rude response, there's no excuse for them to start piling up your items and not helping you bag.

2012-09-24 17:54:22 Be extra careful locking your bike here. Don't leave your lights on your bike at any time of day. They will be stolen. —las30

2013-07-03 16:37:44 The price of goods in Target is always higher than that of Walmart! —JunaidAs-Salek

2013-09-03 12:30:27 What happens if someone parks their non-environmentally friendly car in an "Environmentally-friendly car only" spot? Is this a police/ticketing matter? ;) Just curious of the law here. —EricaMacGregor

It's private property - it's on them to do enforcement. It does say hybrid vehicles & it's impossible to tell if something has been converted to bio fuels at a glance without peeking under the hood. ~SD

Target no longer carries MHL to HDMI cables. Thanks for never having what I need target ~SD

2014-02-09 22:12:34 always crowded and associates are usually cranky —YoungResident

Footnotes

1. As opposed to all the renegade Starbucks out there, living on the edge.